WILDLIFE AUSTRALIA

A trio of Australia's fascinating wild creatures: 

• The termite-eating short-beaked Echidna. It is  among the few living representatives in the world of mammals that both lay eggs and suckle their young. Due to their small size and slow speed, the echidna protects itself by either hiding, or curling into a ball being protected by their spikey exterior. Sometimes called the porcupine of Australia. 

• The platypus lives in an aquatic environment like a fish, suckles its young like a mammal, lays eggs and has the bill of a duck! Platypuses are carnivores. They hunt worms, shrimp, insect larvae, and crayfish at dawn, dusk, and night. They live along streams and rivers in eastern Australia, including Tasmania.

• The Blue-winged Kookaburra, a giant kingfisher. Nielsen Park is inhabited by the kookaburra, easily identified by its call, which sounds like laughter. Kookaburras are very efficient breeders: one of the young birds is kept on in the nest to look after the next batch of hatchlings, leaving both parents free to gather food.

(left to right): Short-beaked Echidna; the Platypus; the Blue-winged Kookaburra

AFRICAN WILDLIFE - CHEETAH, LION

The cheetah is the world's fastest land mammal. With acceleration that would leave most automobiles in the dust, a cheetah can go from 0 to 60 miles (96 kilometers) an hour in only three seconds. These big cats are quite nimble at high speed and can make quick and sudden turns in pursuit of prey. Most wild cheetahs are found in eastern and southwestern Africa.

 Kenya's Pride

Living in the grasslands, scrub, and open woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa, the lion is the second largest cat in the world. Lions have been celebrated throughout history for their courage and strength. 

Size: Head and body, 1.4 to 2 m; Tail, 67 to 100 cm
Weight: 120 to 191 kg
Group name: Pride
Protection status: Vulnerable

Stamp: red-and-yellow barbet

The red-and-yellow barbet is about 8 or 9 inches long. It has a long, strong, pointed red bill. It has red, yellow black and white upper parts and yellow under parts. It lives in eastern Africa, in woodlands, scrubland and savannah, where it usually forages on the ground near trees or bushes. The Masai use the feathers of red-and-yellow barbets as clothing decorations. 

CANADIAN ROCKIES WILDLIFE

The beauty of the Canadian Rockies is breathtaking. Massive mountains, emerald green lakes and rivers, waterfalls, huge forests, glaciers and miles upon miles of absolute natural beauty will astound you. Here, in a land of huge unspoiled wilderness areas, wildlife and natural beauty abound. In the Rocky Mountain towns of Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper, elk and bighorn sheep are a common sight wandering the urban streets, while further afield bears, wolves and more are to be spotted by considerate and careful wanderers.

Bighorn Sheep can often be seen alongside mountain roads. 

Bighorn sheep are some of the most distinctive mammals of the Canadian Rockies. Easily recognized by their impressive horns, they are often seen grazing on grassy mountain slopes or at salt licks beside the road. Bighorn sheep are particularly tolerant of humans and often approach parked vehicles.

 

The Mule Deer is a familiar sight in the Canadian Rockies.

One of the biggest attractions of the Canadian Rockies is the abundance of wildlife, especially large mammals such as moose, bighorn sheep, and bears, which are all widespread and easily viewed throughout the mountains. The animals of the Canadian Rockies are legendary throughout the world for their grandeur, mystique and beauty.
 

Grizzlies, second largest of eight recognized species of bears worldwide (only polar bears are larger), have disappeared from most of North America but are widespread throughout the Canadian Rockies. The bears’ color ranges from light brown to almost black, with dark tan being the most common.

The giant of the deer family is the moose, an awkward-looking mammal that appears to have been designed by a cartoonist. It has the largest antlers of any animal in the world. They are not particularly common in the Canadian Rockies, numbering around 400. Although they may appear docile, moose will attack humans if they feel threatened.

KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

Location North-eastern corner of the Transvaal, stretches from the Mozambique border in the north to Malelane in the south. The only National Park in the Transvaal. About 400 km north-east of Johannesburg.
Size Just under 2 000 000 ha - roughly the size of Wales.

This internationally renowned game and nature reserve supports the greatest variety of wildlife species found on the African continent.

Giraffes at a watering hole.

The park supports more species of wildlife than any other African game sanctuary: 137 mammal species, 49 fish species, 112 reptile species, 493 bird species. The park has the highest density of birds of prey in the world, including 15 eagle species. Mammals include lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, buffalo, impala and zebra.

Guided wilderness trails are offered, facilitating closer contact with the untamed beauty of the bush. More than half a million wildlife enthusiasts visit the Kruger National Park each year throughout the year.